New York Girlz
by nevergone4ever
Summary: Teddy Duncan has just gotten a job at the hottest teen boutique in all of Colorado! But will she stick with it? Will this fortune turn into tears and regret or beams of joy?
1. Chapter 1- The Job is Mine

I walked into the mall feeling hopeful and fresh, for I had showered less than twenty minutes ago. Maybe this day would be the day! Maybe not, but I had hope! This job interview was going to go great. I couldn't wait.

My soft blond hair, neatly curled, tickled my shoulders and I twirled a small loop of it around my French-manicured nail, which by the way were neatly done by me this morning after I fed Toby those gross peaches. Canned. Yick.

My interview outfit was sure to please. It was a short pink and orange dress, pantyhose, sizzling orange pumps, and orange hoop earrings. I also wore my signature golden locket from PJ for my sixth birthday. He had spent all his money on it, and since the store went out of business shortly after he purchased it online, no refunds were available. Of course, he's since gotten that money back by working at that revolting chicken place, but… yeah.

I saw New York Girlz and it took literally all my will not to run in there, screaming, "REMEMBER ME? YEAH, YOU GAVE ME A JOB INTERVIEW! ME! AMAZING, NO?!"

But I walked in calmly and told the lady at the counter, Tay, that I had a job interview, and she directed me to a hallway where there was a room. I sat there for about ten minutes until a fast-walking lady came in. She talked extremely fast, too, and asked me about ten questions before she popped in her mouth a piece of green gum, started chewing nervously, and proclaimed that I got the job. Then she shook my hand, gave me some papers, said that she'd see me on Tuesday, and quickly ran out.

I grinned as she darted away and then dreamily walked out. Yes, the coveted job of New York Girlz's register was officially Teddy Duncan's! And eleven dollars an hour. Not too shabby in this economy, I thought. Sure, maybe another job could have gotten me more, but this was the only one so far that appealed to me.

Orientation took about three hours, as there were three people,

Tomorrow was Tuesday, the first day I worked, but I SO was not going to wait to prepare. I grabbed my Ralph Lauren tote and began cramming the essentials in- minty Chapstick, cappuccino lip shimmer, deodorant, and some cash for lunch at the food court. Perfection. I'd absolutely shine at my new job.

I arrived at the mall with Mom's Honda and entered the food court. I purchased a small Starbucks vanilla mocha and sipped anxiously as I walked to the New York Girlz Store. I was in my 'new job, cool shoes' outfit, with a red and white striped top, blue acid-washed jeans, comfy red sneakers (like I said before, freshly off the shelves of New York Girlz from Sunday!), blue and white pony earrings, a blue headband, and a white necklace.

I strolled in like I did this every day and set my jacket and coffee on a stool in the break room. A tall woman with brown and blond hair directed me to the front section because she said I had some sort of spark in me that would make the customers roll in. I grinned and obliged, but as I was headed for the band of mannequins by the door, my phone buzzed. When I picked up, there was a text from my big brother PJ-

_Teddy! Hurry, my head is stuck in the swingg set agen… hurry, gabe is laughing at me! _

"Really? Ya had time to text a frowny face?" I chuckled to myself and tapped a message back.

**PJ! That's horrible! I'm calling the cops now! Do you need the ambulance or BUTTER, PJ. JUST YELL 4 MOM. **

_Nooooo! She'll laugh 8 me 2! Just hurry over akready :- (_

**Do you want a clean head stuck in a swing set or a buttery one out of the swing set? Yeesh!**

_No comment….._

**I'm my job, I'll be home ASAP.**

I clicked off my iPhone and grinned to myself as I watched customers walk outside the store. My job. It sounded so, so, so, SO official. And no. I never use four so's.


	2. Chapter 2- Starting Out

It was five minutes into my job, and there were already fifteen customers in the store. I was helping two brunette sisters and their mother find discounted powder blue sunglasses that were exactly 27% off, although they begged for 30%.

I slumped over to the three people at the register– Tay, Dreaminia, and Carlos.

"They didn't tell me that the people here were so aggressive!" I moaned in distress. My phone, now on vibrate, buzzed and I didn't look at it for one second. PJ had been madly texting me over and over until my phone nearly got out of battery. A few that I felt were especially funny were these-

_My ankle itches and I cannot scratch. Wht am I 2 do._

_Gabe just broke my toe I think, cuz I c the bone when I look in a mirror._

_Oh my god. I c Charlie. _

_I told her 2 come closer nd she ran off screaming. HELP ME HERE TEDDY!_

_When r u coming back?_

_I'm singing candy perfume girl by Madonna now to pass the time. La._

_Gabe just shot me because I am singing, with his nerf gun and man o man I am cryin here. _

_I just attached an audio thing so u can here me cryin._

_Why does it hurt so much, it's just a NERF GUN!_

_Idk if u r there. I'm just glad u r listning. _

That's when I stopped reading his texts.

"May I help you find anything?" I asked pleasantly to a paunchy middle-aged man wearing overalls and lime green socks with Nike™ sandals.

"Yes. Lipstick, I believe the name is True Lagoon?"

"Oh… yes, I think we carry True Lagoon. What is the brand?"

And then he just stared off into space. After a bit, I raised my eyebrow and cleared my throat a few times, but he just continued smiling and staring dumbly.

"Sir? SIR? SIR?!"

"WHAT?!" he asked loudly, attracting attention from a bunch of girls looking at flavored lip-gloss and flowy pink tank tops.

"I asked what the brand of True Lagoon is called?"

"I said."

"Said what?"

"Huckleberry."

Duh, I realized it. True Lagoon was the brand. Huckleberry was the type. I blushed and led him to the True Lagoon lipstick section, along with their perfumes. He thanked me with a sort of scowl on his face and began looking at nightgowns.

Tay called me over. "Teddy, you're gonna have people like him. Technically, he can't be escorted out by mall security since they were only talking to you, but you have to best them."

I nodded and smoothed out my shirt, trying to discreetly glance at the big black and white and pink clock. 11:09. Still 51 minutes before my one hour lunch break. I sighed as I slapped on a huge fake smile and walked to the front of the store.

"Hello, can I help you find anything?"


	3. Chapter 3- Swingset

**Ages (probably not be accurate but whatevs :p)- Toby- 2 Charlie-6 Gabe-10 Teddy- 16 PJ- 18**

Teddy came home angrily, slamming her basement door best she could because of the sliding door. She ripped the headband off her head and tore the earrings away.

"Stupid job, stupid Tay, stupid–" she stopped. Charlie was on Teddy's laptop, swinging her legs freely, propped against a giant plush Ariel the Mermaid pillow.

"Charlie, did Mom say you could be in here?" Teddy set the laptop on her trundle and picked up the little girl.

"Door's unlocked," Charlie giggled, sucking on a strand of her white-blonde hair.

"I left it unlocked? I thought I locked… huh. Well… hi," Teddy plopped down on her bed and exited the window Charlie was on to her report due for school. "Vamoose, Charlie, I got a report to write."

"I watch Dora on your iPad," Charlie said back.

"Fine. But at least go into the basement game room. You'll get to be by Gabe!" Teddy attempted being cheerful.

"No, Teddy," Charlie responded.

"I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to either. Just sit in my beanbag and don't speak."

Charlie grinned and she took her pillow and Teddy's iPad to the small beanbag by Teddy's bathroom. "K!"

Teddy smiled vaguely as she sank back into the mass of pillows on her bed to look at one website. New York Girlz's website.

Oh, how she loved to shop. New York Girlz was her favorite site, and she got a 10% employee discount along with the regular discounts.

Then she pulled up a Word™ document and typed in the things she needed to get at the store.

Powder blue tank top/ tee to match my denim skirt

'Loving' perfume to replace my old one

New denim skirt!

Gold's gold polish to polish some of my jewelry.

Feather earrings- new trend school.

Plain black pants for chorus

Teddy looked, satisfied, at her list and went to the New York Girlz website again. They had black pants, the perfume, feathered earrings, and a denim skirt, but she was out of luck for the polish and blue shirt. But that wasn't a problem, they had most of the things on her list.

"Total comes to…" she muttered. "Fifty-seven ninety five with the discount."

Not too bad.

Charlie coughed from her corner, then left with the iPad still on. Teddy half-heartedly gave out a groan and went for her tablet.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie," she murmured. "So forgetful, ya little doof."

She shut down the iPad and her laptop and went upstairs.

"Crud, PJ!"

She had forgotten all about him and his playground troubles. She grabbed a baby food spoon and a tub of greasy, buttery, slippery margarine.

"PJ?!" she called out. A tired yell came from the backyard, and she knew immediately it was her brother.

"My neck hurts!"

"So do my toes! Where's Gabe?"

"Oh, he left to go to Jake's house."

Teddy stepped into the yard and sighed. PJ peered up at her best he could.

"This is just a little awkward."

"Just a bit," she replied, smearing some margarine on the spoon and his neck. "Hold still."

PJ shrieked when she first applied it. "It's cold! Couldn't you have gotten warmer butter? Heated a little bit, maybe?"

Teddy scowled at the back of his head, then continued dabbing it on. After five minutes of butter-patting in silence, she stepped back. "OK, pull!"

PJ's head popped out and he stumbled to the ground. "Gee, thanks, Teddy."

"Don't mention it!" Teddy washed the spoon in the kitchen and put the margarine away. Then she went to her room again to recount her brand new cash. Sixty-four dollars of hard-earned bills after a Subway lunch.


	4. Chapter 4- Missy

**If you want to leave a review or private message… They're welcome, you know. -.- **

The next day Teddy arrived at her job with a new attitude. Her phone would be in her purse in the break room, so no PJ nor her parents could distract her, lest they text or call. She even listened to different music, Taylor Swift and uplifting Katy Perry songs instead of Erin McCarley and Sky Fennira.

Happy, cheery music. And instead of the regular heavy cheddar cheese, zucchini, tomato, and Canadian bacon egg white omelet and a piece of whole wheat toast with butter, she had a thin slice of white bread with strawberry jam, and a fresh orange with cranberry juice.

It was a nice, fresh start. Clear foods such as fruits seemed to clear Teddy's head. She smiled as she set her denim jacket and black purse down and fingered the twenty she had in her pocket for lunch. Today would be different.

"Hello!" she sunnily waved at some blond and redhead cheerleaders who had just walked in.

"We're looking for Fashion Snap skirts?" one raised her eyebrows, as if she expected Teddy to disagree.

"Uh, yeah! We just got an order in yester–" she began, but the lead redhead cut her off with a glare.

"Do you remember me, Teddy?" the ginger snarled. Teddy reeled back. "Um, no…"

"Are you sure? Because it seems like you remember a lot! I was your best friend in sixth grade! I'm Missy Hawthorne. Ring a bell yet?"

"Oh my gosh… Missy, of course I remember! You stood out to me a lot!"

"How? You ditched me in seventh!"

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Oh, you ditched me, I thought… Remember? For Dana Andrews! I remember now!" she scowled right back at Missy. "You're the one to blame, actually!"

"Me? I simply went to Dana after you left me for that Ivy Wens!"

"Ivy has been my best friend ever since you ditched me," shot Teddy back, not caring that shocked customers were whispering and taking sides. This was not-exactly-proclaimed war!

"I disagree with that," laughed Missy. "Dana was my best friend because I asked her. Heartbroken, of course!"

"Yeah, because we were over! Done with! Not BFF's anymore!" shouted Teddy.

"Teddy! Teddy! Calm down a minute!" yelled Tay from the register.

"Hang on!" Teddy growled at her, then continued.

"Te-ddy! Te-ddy!" the Duncan's supportive side cheered.

"Miss! Miss! Miss!" chanted Missy's people.

Teddy and Missy stared each other down, not sure what to do. But eventually, some person on Missy's side threw a hot coffee into the middle and the brawl began.

Teddy began clawing at Missy's expensive, flowy white top. Missy screeched and pushed her away, and this was when the mall cops came.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Break it up, you two!" yelled a woman with freckles and a large ponytail.

"She started it!" growled Teddy.

"It don't matter who started this, we just gotta take you girls to the mall jail!" an African-American man hollered, grabbing Missy.

"Jail?!" Teddy whispered to herself. Her life at New York Girlz was over. She'd be banned from the mall. Forever? A year? However long, she'd have a bad reputation. And her parents, oh, they'd be so disappointed…

Teddy and Missy and the two cops rode on a sort of golf cart contraption down the squeaky mall flooring. Rows and rows of brightly lit shops burned into Teddy's eyes, and once a toy helicopter from a kiosk hit her.

Missy pursed her lips and glared at Teddy. "This is all your fault," she whispered. "I'm going to tell them that you yelled at me, and then brutally attacked me with… with… um…"

"It's your fault we're going to the mall jail, you know!" the blond glared at the redhead. "I just asked you if I could help you find anything and then you asked if I remembered you and then you got the girls to all go against me, and the customers…"

The lady cop was glaring at them.

"Uh, hi!" Missy said.

"Shut up," whispered Teddy, sullenly crossing her arms, planting her feet on the floor, and staring at her shoes. "We still have a thing on our hands. We're stuck in the mall jail!"

Missy ignored Teddy. "Please? Is it possible somehow that there's a, a mall lawyer?"

"No, but if you want, you can talk to your fellow inmate, Teddy Duncan."


	5. Chapter 5- Emails

"Thanks for getting me out, Mom." Teddy sheepishly scratched her head in her mother's Ford Taurus.

"No… problem… sweetie…" Amy was applying pink lipstick and perfume at once.

After a few minutes of Teddy awkwardly watching her apply her makeup, she asked, "Should I drive, Mom?"

"No… you're just fine, honey… just fine…"

At home, Bob and Amy both agreed that Teddy would be grounded for one week of staying in her room only. No fresh air, no TV. Teddy shrugged this off. It could be worse, and she obviously had probably lost her job at New York Girlz. Teddy thought it was a rather fair punishment, considering they had given Gabe no video games nor allowance nor dessert once for getting a D on a science grade.

Teddy grabbed a few apples and a can of Pepsi and sighed, taking a good look around the kitchen and then darted downstairs, purse in hand.

"Charlie, why are you down here playing on Gabe's X Box?"

Charlie paused from the game long enough to give a stare, and then continued the game.

"Excuse me, little girl," giggled Teddy. But then she remembered- banned to her room. She took a fierce bite of her Granny Smith apple and slid her door shut.

She opened her laptop to find pleasant surprises- three new emails, and one iChat. Odd. Normally she got no iChats, because none of her friends had it. She checked that first.

_Keep an eye out. I'm watching you._

Teddy inhaled quickly. Who was this person? She checked the address, but it was somehow blocked. She typed cautiously back.

_Do I know you?_

She exited the iChat, still shivering, and checked her email. One was from New York Girlz about a sale on perfume. The next was from Ivy.

_Ooh, girl! You better watch out, cuz that one Missy girl? That chick's sworn out to get yo face! BEWARE :'O! Ivy :-D_

Teddy tapped back a quick but to the point message. _I know. _

The last one was from a person under the name of 'irishlassie203'. Her email read-

_Teddy. Teddy Duncan. You really have no clue what you're in for, do you. Well, here I am to tell you. _

_Missy is going to come to your house tomorrow. I'm not going to tell you the time (I'm already saying too much) but know that she will CRASH it. As in, pour soda on your couch, short sheet the beds, and shave your pets (if you have any.) _

_I am begging you- please, if you want to lead a normal life. Have your parents stay home. Lock your windows and your doors. I am dead serious, no joke at all._

_-A friend_

Teddy sat back in her chair. Stunned. What did this mean? A threat from a supposed Irish lassie. Her parents would be of no help whatsoever, which meant she and her sibings were supposed to guard the house. And with Bob and Amy gone from the house…

Teddy sent an email back.

_Hello, friend-_

_I just have 2 ask… do I know you in real life? I am worried bout this night that they'll supposedly come 2 my house and wreck it. Can u attempt to stop Missy and her gang or something? Anything? I'm grounded so I can't really do anything bout this __!_

_Teddy_

_Well, that was easy,_ Teddy thought as she hit the send button. Almost too easy. But hey, if it would somewhat help her case, she was all for it.

"Teddy!"

"WHAT?!" she called upstairs.

"A man's at the door, I'll just send him down!" Amy's voice had a mischievous tinge to it, as if she were hiding something excellent.

"Who is it?" Teddy yelled up, but the person was already trotting down the stairs.

"Hello," he said.

**Ooh… a cliffhanger… finally… review if you want me to finish? :-D**


End file.
